The St. Johns herald., 1887-04-21
STORY OF WILLIE ALLBRIGET.

 The Kidnapped English Boy Who Was
 R scued from q Snowman by his Pa-
 rents, in thc St.te of Iowa.
 The case O: Willie Albright an Eng fish lad, was full of strange adventures.
 He lived at Sheffield with his parents until five years Of age. His father WAS employed in great factory there, and his mother was dressmaker for the ueighborhood. They lived in cot age in he suburbs of the town. and at the age of four he boy was permitted 10 ran about the neighborhood a good deal.
 At five, when he was Kidnapped, he wa5 sent to the stores to make purcha- se-, and knew all the streets clear to the factory in which hs ia. her Horke !.
 One day in 1881, about two o'clock in the aiterLoon, he was sent tJ It re three blocks away after some buttons. D fore he reached it a strange man ac- stel him all asked his namr. H. then gave Willie some sWeetmcat5 and asked him go and look at a PuEca and Judy show in the town, promising to return with him il half Lour.
 Tie boy eagerly st off with him, and was taken 10 tho railroad depot and placed on train in charge of middle aged woman who gave him more sweet m ats and was very kindly spoken. SEo ss .d the snow Lad moved away aid they after it, and the novelty of Ine child 5 posi- iol prcfentel hin feeling any an1- lety.
 Nh inc detectives came to take the case up, as they did two days after the boys disappearance, they got no c!u9 whatever. Although he had walked a mile or two. hand in hand with the ab- ductor, along crowded stree.S, nobody remembered seeing the pair.
 They had gone openly to tho railroad stat on, but no one there had noticed them. The guard on the train diInly re- membered woman and child in a con- partment. but could give no descrip- ton.
 A the Alib:ights were poor and lowly no great stir was created. and no great effort was made by the detectives 10 re- store the boy Lo his parents.
 Tie boy was taken from Sheffield to Liverpool, being So well t: eatel on tho way that he had uo thought of his hon".
 At Liverpool he was told that his name was Joan Manton, and that the woman was h s mother. When he di-- puted thep pint he was soundiy whipped. His hair was cut close, his dress entirely changed, and a liquid Was rubbed on his skin, which turned it dark. Except when he asked 10 go home, or deHieI that his name was John Manton, he WAS kindly treated, and after he had been beat Il seven or eight times he accepted the new name and ceased to reser 10 his parents.
 Young as he was this was stroke of p ,licy on his part. H. realized that he had Ucen stolen from home, and he kept repeating to himself that his true name was Willie Albright, and that he lived at Sheffield.
 After couple of weeks lessons in tulnbling and iight-rope walking were given to the boy. He was never per lnitted 10 go out alo ne or 10 converse with s rangers, and 1t soon came natural fvr him to call the woman mother,
 in tue course of couple of months tue past seemed a dream to him and he would have forgotten all about it Lad he not kept repeating 10 himself:
 '' 1 an not Johnny Manton, but Willie Allbrigh !, and they stole me away from Sheffield"
 lie was in Liverpool six weeks before he knew the name of the city.
 When h, had been taught how to dance, sing, tumble, and walk Q tight rope-a matter Of three months time he was taken around the country with 0 small shoN, which the womaa owneI in part. The novelty of travel was so agr. cable that he almost forgot Lis situato", and was for two or three years Qu.te cOnte [.
 There was no oce to teach him how to read or Write but he was quick-wi.ted, and could reason beyond his years He had hopes that lhe show would some cay reach She4ield, and he would then shp out ald ru home. but the people O. co. rse carefully avoided the place.
 Ouce, when they were showing at Doncast,r I, a few miles away, Willie observe q man whose face had famil- i.r look, gazing at him in an earnest manner, anu presently heard him say 10 8 .r.ehd:
 The ladJie keeps me thinking of the child who was stolen away from neigh Dor Albright, but of course it cant be LAe one"
 The toy was about to call out that his name was Willie Albright when the womaa, who always kept an eagle eyo On him. me closer and intimidated him. The show then hurriedly packed up and left the place.
 The boy now realized more fully than ever that his right Lame was Albright, Ruu that he mad been stolen from home, bus ae also icit his helplc$sueSs.